Self-service facilities at which users may make purchases are becoming increasingly popular. Allowing the customer to serve themself enables the customer to work at their own pace. It also minimizes the number of personnel that the operator of the facility must employ to service customers. One type of self-service facility that is becoming increasingly popular is a self-service fuel dispensing facility. At such facilities customers are enabled to pump their own motor fuel. Users often pay a cashier for the amount of fuel purchased. One cashier is enabled to monitor several fuel dispensing pumps and receive payment conveniently from many customers.
Many motor fuel dispensing establishments have expanded their merchandise offerings to include other items. Many such facilities instead of merely being a “gasoline station” are now a “convenience store” offering a variety of food and beverage items as well as other products. This business model has proven highly successful as motorists who must stop for fuel will often make impulse purchases of beer, cigarettes, lottery tickets, food and other items. These other purchases provide substantial additional profit for the operator. The customer is able to pick up items conveniently and to pay for such items as well as the motor fuel they have dispensed.
In recent years more service stations and other self-service facilities have enabled users to make payment using credit or debit cards. In the motor fuel dispensing environment an electronic interface is often provided through which a user may elect to pay either inside the facility or at the pump. The user interface also includes a card reader into which the user may insert their credit or debit card. If the card is verified as a valid card, the user may dispense the motor fuel into their vehicle and have the charge for the merchandise applied to the account associated with the card. Many electronic self-service motor fuel dispensing terminals also include a receipt printer which provides the customer with a printed receipt for their purchase.
While electronic motor fuel dispensing terminals are convenient, they also have drawbacks. One drawback for the operator of the facility is that the customer no longer needs to go into the facility where other merchandise is available for purchase. As a result, a customer is less likely to make an impulse purchase. This can lower the overall profitability of the operation. A further drawback is that if the customer does wish to purchase merchandise from the facility, the customer is required to wait in line with other customers who are paying for fuel and merchandise. If the customer does not have cash available to pay for the merchandise the customer's credit card or other card must be verified again in a separate transaction inside the facility. This unduly delays the customer as well as other customers who are waiting to deal with the cashier or other individual service provider.
A further drawback with conventional self-service dispensing environments, including motor fuel dispensing environments, is that if the user does wish to make a purchase within the facility, the user's car remains adjacent to the dispensing station. This often delays other customers who are waiting to fuel their vehicles. Customers may choose not to wait and will simply drive to another service station rather than be delayed.
Most consumers prefer to pay cash for certain purchases. This is particularly true for low value items. Many consumers do not believe that the delays associated with card-based purchases are justified when the item being purchased is of low value. Sellers also do not appreciate the fees, delay or inconvenience associated with processing card-based transactions for very small amounts. To provide users with cash at convenient locations, automated teller machines (ATMs) have been installed in retail establishments. Such ATMs enable users to obtain cash by withdrawing it from their accounts through use of a debit card or by charging it against a credit card account.
A drawback of using ATMs in some self-service environments such as a motor fuel dispensing station, is that it takes time for the user to operate the ATM within the facility. This may translate into a delay. A delay can be harmful for the operator's business if a customer's car remains at the fuel dispensing pump for an extended period while the customer is within the sales facility operating the ATM. This may discourage other customers from stopping. Further, if the customer finds a line at the ATM within the facility, the customer may choose not to wait to obtain cash. As a result, the user will not make the additional purchases at the sales facility that they would have otherwise made.
Similar conditions and considerations exist in other types of customer service facilities. For example, gaming facilities, amusement facilities, ticketing and other environments may not provide optimum transaction throughput and profitability due to customers having to complete a number of time-consuming steps. Such delays exist in both self service facilities as well as facilities that are attended by a human service provider. Drive-through customer service operations such as fast food restaurants also can cause customers to suffer delays and may lose business due to slow transaction throughput. Customers in a drive-through fast food environment may limit their purchases because they have a limited amount of cash available. Customers in such drive-through facilities may be discouraged from using credit or debit cards because it may slow down activities at the payment and delivery stations. The operators of such fast food facilities as well as customers, may prefer that credit or debit cards not be used to make payment as to do so will increase their wait to obtain merchandise. This additional time includes not only the time required to authorize the transaction using an electronic payment network, but also the additional steps associated with having the customer receive credit card or debit card receipts related to their purchase. Potential customers considering whether to stop to purchase food or other merchandise from a drive-through facility may also be discouraged from stopping to make the purchase if the wait appears too long or they have experienced a delay in the past.
Customers wishing to make a purchase from a customer service facility but who either prefer to use cash or are required by the seller to pay with cash, may first need to visit a bank or other facility with an ATM in order to acquire such cash. This requires the customer to make an additional stop at another location before patronizing the customer service facility. It is not uncommon for persons who might otherwise intend to make a purchase to completely forego the purchasing activity because they have to take the time to obtain additional cash first. This is particularly true in operations like drive-through food service environments where the customer may stop if they have the available cash, but can forego the purchase if they do not have the cash available. If the customer defers the purchase until they get the cash there is an increased probability that they will make the food purchase at the most convenient location after they have been able to obtain adequate cash. As a result the customer service facility that the consumer may actually prefer may lose the customer's business because the customer considers being able to pay with cash a prerequisite.
Thus there exists a need for more efficient transaction processes and cash delivery methods for use in connection with customer service facilities.